TRIP

Cinryze: angioedema treatment launched by ViroPharma

MIMS News, 2012

Cinryze, a C1-esterase inhibitor product derived from human plasma, is now available in the UK for patients with hereditary angioedema.
In addition to being licensed for the treatment of acute attacks, is also licensed for pre-procedure prevention and for routine prevention when oral prevention or repeat acute treatment is inadequate or not tolerated.
In an open-label study involving 91 procedures (medical, dental or surgical) in 41 patients (8 children and 33 adults), 98% of patients who received a single dose of the C1-esterase inhibitor did not have an acute attack of angioedema within 72 hours.
The C1-esterase inhibitor demonstrated efficacy in routine prevention in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover in 22 patients over a 24-week period.
The number of attacks per 12-week period was reduced by half in patients who received prophylactic C1-esterase inhibitor compared with those who received placebo (6.26 vs 12.73, p<0.0001).
Current options for the treatment of acute attacks of angioedema include another human-plasma-derived C1-esterase inhibitor product ( ) and a C1-esterase inhibitor analogue produced from transgenic rabbits, conestat alfa ( ); however, neither product is licensed for pre-procedure or routine prevention.